When you鈥檙e in the business of hauling recyclables and trash, every pound counts. And, for Ecology Recycling and Transportation Services, lightweight specs are a recipe for success. The latest example is a transfer dump contract the company received in the Phoenix area. 鈥淐ontract waste hauling is a very competitive business, which requires very accurate cost accounting and revenue projections,鈥� said Greg Evans, equipment maintenance manager for Ecology. 鈥淚t comes down to who can haul the most trash at the lowest cost.鈥�
听Ecology, with a fleet of more than 600 trucks, is the largest company west of the Mississippi that provides trucking and transportation services for bulk waste and recyclables. The company has purchased 450 Kenworth trucks since 2010 through Inland Kenworth in Montebello, California. To help get the contract hauling waste from transfer stations in Phoenix to landfills between 80 and 120 miles away, Ecology has done more with less by reducing weight in its new Kenworth T880s and trailers. 鈥淎ll told, we decreased weight by about 2,000 pounds, as compared to other combinations we鈥檝e run in the past,鈥� said Evans. 鈥淭he biggest contributor was going with the PACCAR MX-11 engine, which is 400 pounds lighter than a 13-liter engine. We have always been believers in the PACCAR MX-13 engine, and run those with great success in California with our Kenworths. 听But, with the new PACCAR MX-11 engine, we can save weight and have comparable performance.鈥�
听Ecology鈥檚 PACCAR MX-11 engines are rated at 430 hp with 1,550 lb-ft. of torque in its 61 Kenworth T880s with 116.5-inch BBC short hoods. 听鈥淭he PACCAR MX-11 has the same horsepower rating as we鈥檙e running with the MX-13 engine, but with a different torque rating,鈥� said Evans. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not seeing any difference in top-end performance, and in Arizona, we鈥檙e able to run up to 75 mph. 听Since we gross out on nearly every load at 80,000 pounds, we鈥檙e finding the pulling power to be excellent. The smaller engine is working well and we expect it to have the same life as our bigger PACCAR engines.鈥�
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Adding to the weight savings was the decision to go with super single tires on the tractors and on the 48-foot trailers. 鈥淲e really looked at all areas to cut weight,鈥� said Evans. 鈥淲e even took out the passenger seat on the trucks since they鈥檙e not needed, and went with two batteries instead of three.鈥�
听According to Evans, it all adds up and helps the bottom line. 鈥淲hen you consider that some of our drivers will make two trips to the landfill and put on close to 500 miles a day, it means our productivity is up since we鈥檙e paid by the ton.鈥�
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Evans also expects continued high fuel economy numbers. 鈥淲e鈥檝e seen a marked improvement in fuel economy with the PACCAR MX-13 in our California operation, and we expect similar performance, if not better with the MX-11 once the trucks are broken in,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he combination of a lightweight vehicle, low maintenance costs 鈥� quite a bit lower than other brands of trucks we鈥檝e run 鈥� and top fuel economy, are all what鈥檚 helping to drive new business for our company. What鈥檚 more, our drivers really love being behind the wheel of the T880.鈥�
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Evans first saw the PACCAR MX six years ago during a visit to the Kenworth R&D Center in Renton, Washington, and he left impressed of what he saw and heard. As a result, Ecology became one of the first fleets to begin using the PACCAR MX engine when it was introduced in 2010, and continue to operate with the PACCAR MX-13 engine ever since. 鈥淚 knew the PACCAR MX engine platform had been used in Europe for years, and it had been thoroughly tested here. It gave us the confidence to move forward and I’m glad we did. It’s been a great business decision, and it鈥檚 only getting better with the implementation of the PACCAR MX-11.鈥�
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